Tag Archives: Quadra Island

Cost of Climate Change, Fire

Twofold increase in Extreme Wildfires during past 20 years

So far,  there have only been minor fires on Cortes, Quadra and Read Islands, but the BC government warns that the province will see more large fires in the future. “Longer, hotter summers lead to more droughts and a longer wildfire season. Dry conditions make it easier for lightning storms and strong winds to start fires. These fires can spread, combine and burn for longer.” 

This is not a local phenomenon.  A new study published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution found that there has been more than a two fold increase in the number of wildfires around the globe, during the past two decades. 

There was a 7-fold increase in Alaska, Canada and Russia.

Continue reading Twofold increase in Extreme Wildfires during past 20 years →
Food Security, Politics, Water

Who gets first dibs on water? BC Greens say farmers

Editor’s Note: Basil Creek dried up to a trickle and some of the shallow wells on Cortes Island stopped recharging during the 2022 and 2023 droughts. There have been similar reports from Quadra Island, where the ICAN Water Security Team and Wei Wai Kum are studying the situation. So far, these appear to be shallow aquifer issues and the deep aquifers on both islands appear to be healthy. The ICAN Team could have been speaking for both teams when it wrote, the ‘aquifers appear to be sufficient for current levels of human use, BUT we may be drawing down our aquifers.’ The level of uncertainty is higher on Cortes, where we not yet been able to raise the funding for the necessary water studies.

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The BC Green Party is calling for changes in the way the province deals with drought to ensure both farmers and the environment have access to enough water to flourish as climate change advances. 

Arzeena Hamir, the Green candidate for Courtenay-Comox, said the party aims to make it easier and cheaper for farmers to build dugouts on farms that capture and store rainwater, seek amnesty for farmers facing large fines for unlicensed water use, and ensure water for farming food and protecting nature takes precedence over clear-cut logging in watersheds, commercial bottling needs, or to frack for gas during droughts.

Continue reading Who gets first dibs on water? BC Greens say farmers →
Indigenous Nations, Rivers & Oceans

Phasing out Open Net Pen Fish Farming by June 30, 2029

Editor’s note: On June 7, Judge Paul Favel supported the Ministry of Fisheries decision to not renew the licenses of 15 fish farms in the Discovery Islands, and denied a joint application by industry and the Laich-kwil-tach Nation. The seven fish farm sites within traditional territories of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, We Wai Kai Nation and Kwiakah First Nations (collectively known as the Laich-kwil-tach Nation) and the fish farm at Raza Island, off the northern tip of Cortes Island, remain closed. 

The Government of Canada issued five year licenses to the fish farms still operating in British Columbia, and announced it will ban open net-pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia coastal waters by June 30, 2029.

“After July 1, 2024, only marine or land-based closed containment systems will be considered for salmon aquaculture licences. The Government of Canada recognizes that such systems are likely to come with increased investment costs. Incentivizing the transition to such systems is desirable given the need to promote wild fish health, reconciliation with coastal First Nations, economic development in rural and coastal communities, food security, and other important public outcomes. As such, the Minister intends to issue nine-year licences to successful applicants applying for closed-containment production.”

Continue reading Phasing out Open Net Pen Fish Farming by June 30, 2029 →
Animals, Rivers & Oceans

Our Grey Whales Are Getting Smaller

There are several whale watching companies in our area and one of the treats they offer are Grey Whale sightings. Campbell River, Cortes and Quadra Islands are in the middle of a migration route. Thousands of  Grey Whales pass through BC, en route to Alaska, during the spring and return in the fall, while heading for the warm waters of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Most appear to go by the west coast of Vancouver Island, but there are also sightings in our area. About 240 Grey Whales spend their entire summer feeding in the shallow waters of BC and Washington state. They are often close enough to the shore to be seen from the land. However few people seem to have noticed that they are getting smaller. 

Continue reading Our Grey Whales Are Getting Smaller →
Transportation

Folk U: The Transportation Forum

Tune in on June 14 for this special pre-recorded episode of FolkU Radio. This week featured the May Transportation Forum, hosted over Zoom and presented by the Cortes Housing Society, CCEDA, and representatives from Quadra and the outer islands. This forum featured guest panelists from Denman, Gabriola, Bowen and more! Join us in chatting about passenger transportation options, and about how they could be applied to Cortes and Quadra.

Continue reading Folk U: The Transportation Forum →